The Day
by Apple from Mars
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a world that could only be saved by a very old ritual. But first the only people who could perform the ritual must be found. And time is against them. (**Alternate Universe, All Seasons Crossover, DEAD**)
1. Prophecy

The Day  
Prolog: Prophecy  
  
By Apple from Mars  
  
Warnings: None yet.  
  
Couples: Undecided. In your review, feel free to tell me which couples you think should be in this story. But don't bother if you think there should be Takari, because I can tell you it won't be a Takari. I don't have anything against it, I just think there are way too many Takari stories.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Ryo leaped lightly from the lowest branch of the elm tree and down to the ground. Behind him his companion had stopped on the branch, her arms crossed, frowning. The chill wind from the morning had faded, and the forest air was still and silent.  
  
"Ryo, I tell you, they will have our BLOOD. They shall become Kinslayers if it allows them to stop the Day."  
  
Ryo flinched as the girl said the word 'Kinslayers.' "Calm yourself Alice. If we hurry we can still gather."  
  
"I tell you-"  
  
"Now, above all, we must have faith. Alice, we must act now, or not act at all." Ryo turned to face the blond haired girl, and for a moment there was silence. Then Alice stepped down off the branch, and stood before him, her arms at her sides.  
  
"Very well. We will act now."  
  
Ryo gave her a grim smile, which she returned, before they set off at a fast paced walk, swerving around trees as the picked up speed.  
  
"We head for Wathren. If we move quickly, it will only take a fortnight."  
  
"Then let us hurry, lest the darkness overtake us."  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
A/N: I am very sorry about the shortness of this chapter. It's simply setting the stage for things yet to come. And I don't know if this story will have any couples, but if it does they will most likely be yaoi/yuri. But then again... 


	2. Shadows

The Day  
  
Chapter One: Shadows  
  
By Apple from Mars  
  
Warnings: None yet.  
  
Couples: Undecided. I'm pretty sure there aren't going to be any pairings and if there are, they will not come in until much later in the story.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
A small child raced through the streets as fast as his feet would carry him. He slipped through a crowd gathering around a vendor and gave silent thanks for his ability to go unnoticed in the crowds. Ducking around the corner of a tavern and down a side street, Tomoki stopped, panting to catch his breath.  
  
"You're late. Did you have any trouble?" A voice said from behind Tomoki.  
  
Tomoki scowled darkly and turned to face the speaker. "No, of course not. I thought you knew me better than that."  
  
A sigh escaped the figure's mouth. "Of course. May I have it now?"  
  
"Here." Tomoki pulled a small pouch filled with coins out of his pocket and flashed a grin at his older brother. "Happy?"  
  
"You're a life saver Tomoki." Yutaka smiled in relief. "Thanks a bunch. Here, go get yourself something." Selecting one of the coins, he tossed it lightly into the boy's hands.  
  
"No problem." The coin vanished into Tomoki's pocket in an instant. "Shouldn't you be back in the tavern? You know Mitsuo will get suspicious if you stay out here to long."  
  
"I'm leaving." With another grateful smile, Yutaka slipped back into the tavern by way of the back door. Tomoki strolled happily back into the busy street, careful not to get swept up in the current of the crowd. He really didn't mind picking up his brother's paycheck, but several of the local gangs had decided that because of his size, Tomoki was an easy target. Tomoki snorted. As if.  
  
Tomoki paused along the side of a building, his mind already wandering to the stash of coins hidden under his bunk. He had been saving up for quite some time now, but could decide what to do with his savings. He was badly in need of some new shoes, his current one's where starting to get small, but he also needed a jacket and a new knife. Shoes where more expensive and he almost had enough for both the jacket and the knife, but he wasn't sure how much longer his shoes would last before they fell of his feet.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Jaarin Lee was not having a good day. She ran a hand through her short purple toned hair and scowled at the pile of dishes before her. She hated doing dishes, but her mother couldn't do them, Shuichon was too young, and her brother's and father where all at the store, so all of the housework fell to Jaarin. Sometimes Rinchei came home and helped out a bit, but for the most part she did everything.  
  
Besides, she reflected as another dish, and then another, was set aside to be dried later, she should have learned not to complain by now.  
  
"Hey Jaarin, Shuichon, Mom, we're home!"  
  
Jaarin's trail of though was lost as her two brothers voices echoed through the small house, Shuichon's loud squeals causing her to flinch as she set down the rag she had been using to scrub the dishes and hurrying to greet her brothers.  
  
"Jenrya, how was the store? I take it father's closing up business? Rinchei, if you go NEAR that food I'll boil you in your own juice. HANDS OFF!"  
  
Rinchei froze where he was, clearly showing that he had been sneaking towards the kitchen where the wafts of hot food where coming from. He put on his most pathetic face as he hid his hands behind his back.  
  
"Me? Steal? Why Jaarin, how could you accuse me of such a hideous crime." Shuichon giggled, and Rinchei grabbed her around the waist and spun her around, the strong smells of food forgotten for the moment.  
  
"Is there a reason you're blocking the doorway?" Came a puzzled voice from behind them.  
  
"Dada!" Shuichon threw herself at her father, who caught her in his arms and lifted her up until they where eye to eye.  
  
"Jaarin, that food smells wonderful." Jenrya said, sniffing experimentally. "Corn bread, baked potatoes, and cooked carrots?"  
  
Jaarin smiled cheerfully, nodding. "Shuichon helped with the corn bread, didn't you Shu?"  
  
The little girl nodded fiercely. "I heped make con bed."  
  
Their father nodded, matching the child's serious expression. "I bet you did. Why don't you go wake up mommy and then we can have dinner!"  
  
Jaarin smiled, and turned back to the kitchen. "We're going to need plates to eat on, and I haven't finished the dishes yet." She announced over her shoulder. "Jenrya will you dry?"  
  
Jenrya nodded and followed his older sister into the other room.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
A mirror? A room filled with mirrors? I can't see through the fog. No... Smoke? Why is there smoke? I smell fire. Fire! There are people in there! I have to get them out-!  
  
Taichi woke with cold sweat pouring down the sides of his face, his pillow wet and cold. The canopy of his bed hung above him, and as he traced the lion patterns with his eyes, he took deep calming breaths, until his heartbeat had slowed to it's normal steady beat.  
  
Pulling the bed covers off him, Taichi threw on a long fur robe and slipped out into the hall. As quietly as he could he hurried down the hall, thanking ever god he could think of that his father had decided to get the thick carpets that where perfect for hiding one's footsteps. He stopped at the end of the hall and as quietly as he could, opened the door there, shutting it quickly behind him, before he rushed over to the bed in the center of the room.  
  
"Hikari! Hikari, you need to wake up!"  
  
The young girl groaned slightly, rolling over onto her back and blinking blearily.  
  
"Taichi?"  
  
"It had happened again."  
  
Hikari sat up in an instant, her eyes flashing with concern as her older brother sat down on the side of her bed.  
  
"Tell me."  
  
"There was a room filled with mirrors. And there was smoke and a fire. There where people in the room where the fire was, and I had to get them out." Taichi rushed through his dream as quickly as he could before he forgot it completely.  
  
Hikari frowned. "This does not feel right. There's something going on that we don't know about. That someone doesn't want us to know about."  
  
Taichi nodded slowly, casting a glance over too Hikari's curtains that hung over the window.  
  
"I should go back to my room. It's almost dawn." Indeed, a dim light had been creeping upon them, and Hikari too threw a look at the window.  
  
"We will talk of this later." Hikari told her brother as he slipped back to his room.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
A/N: Well, here's chapter one. Basically, introducing where some of the characters are. If you aren't good at keeping track of different people, I do not suggest you read this. This story has over 30 different characters (most of them are NOT main) and it gets confusing. Things will clear up once they're all in the same place. At this point in the story, you don't know the plot, but it will come into play in the next few chapters. Enjoy! 


	3. Dusk

The Day  
  
Chapter Two: Dusk  
  
By Apple from Mars  
  
Warnings: None yet.  
  
Couples: It's official, I'm not putting any couples in here. If I do, please blame Fusion.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Prince Yamato of Northern Itsudo and Prince Takeru of Southern Itsudo where not having good days. The kingdom of Itsudo had long ago split into two separate kingdoms, and the attempt made some years ago by their parents to unite the kingdoms had failed, separating the two and giving them very few chances to see one another.  
  
"Did I mention, by any chance, that I HATE politics?"  
  
"Yes Yamato."  
  
"Well let me say it again. I HATE politics!"  
  
Takeru sighed as his brother took a deep breath to continue his rant. Diplomacy was most definitely not his brother's strong point, and this Gathering was very important. Takeru was very glad that it was almost over, and that Yamato did not have to do any of the negotiating.  
  
"Yamato, we should go back inside. They're going to start up again soon."  
  
"Give me a second Takeru."  
  
There was a pause as the two brother's surveyed the landscape stretching out bellow the balcony. Low, snow covered mountains and frozen evergreens surrounded the palace, continuing out as far as the eye could see. If Takeru looked hard enough, he thought he could see the distant range of slightly higher peeks that marked the border between the north and south. The northern mountains where much higher and steeper than the southern mountains, and that was the reason that the Gathering was being held in Southern Itsudo.  
  
"Alright. Let's go." Yamato took a deep, deep breath, and headed back indoors, looking as though he where facing his death. Takeru followed behind him, shaking his head with silent laughter.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Alice scrambled down the rock face after Ryo. The mountains where bare rock, no ice or snow covered this low section of the pass. Up ahead, she could make out the city of Wathren; it's shadow stretching out across bare rock and sand.  
  
"The temple is on the other side of the city." Ryo explained as the two halted at the top of a small overhang. "We will have to wait until it gets darker before we attempt to get to it. The scroll inside should tell us where the prophecy lies."  
  
"And where inside of the temple might the scroll lie?" Alice asked, squinting in the sun's never wavering light.  
  
Ryo sighed. "We will have to be quick and efficient if we want to find where the scroll lies before the temple's keeper finds where we lie."  
  
Alice frowned as Ryo clambered over the overhang, not liking the way the day was going. Glancing up at the sun, Alice confirmed the fact that the day was indeed going, and that they would only have an hour or so left of sunlight, before continuing down among the rocks after Ryo.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Ruki pulled the covers up over her head in frustration.  
  
I'm already falling asleep. Yep. My eyes are closing. Anytime now, I'll be drifting off to sleep.  
  
Or not. Ruki left the covers over her head, breathing in and out slowly. Exhale, the covers fluttered up. Inhale, the covers flapped back down. Inhale, exhale, inhale, and exhale.  
  
Ruki fell silent suddenly, as a light music filtered through the night air. A light smiled graced her face, a smile she never let anyone see except herself. That was one of her mother's tunes, now gathering speed, and that was her mother's recorder. Her grandmother's harp now joined, and the two instruments rose in a lulling duet, a nighttime symphony. Ruki could feel her eyelids drooping slightly, and was glad the two adults thought she was asleep already. Neither one would admit to having any talent but Ruki liked listening to them when they thought she wasn't there.  
  
Her father had played with them, Ruki recalled with a jolt. Her father's flute. She only had one memory, but she could recall the sound exactly as if it had just happened.  
  
Ruki's smile had slipped from her face, lost in the covers of darkness, and it did not return. Her face blank, Ruki drifted away into sleep, as the duet rose and fell, echoing in the long corridors of the almost empty house.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Ken was having trouble sleeping. Again. It happened often, and most times he ended up not getting to sleep until dawn, meaning he only got an hour or two of sleep before he had to get up again. It had started showing too. His eyes had dark shadows under them, and he kept falling asleep during his lessons. Osamu had taken note of this, and informed their father that unless Ken was allowed a week or so off from his normal duties to catch up on sleep, he would be dead by the end of the month. His mother had back Osamu up, but there had been no need for concern, because Ken's father had already been considering doing something before Osamu had come up with his idea.  
  
Slipping out from under the dusk colored blankets, Ken strolled to the open window, letting the chilled wind buffet the curtains playfully. His room faced East, so he was in the shadows when the sun set, and in the light when the sun rose. It was considered good luck among his people, and so everyone of royal blood slept in the east wing, with at least one window facing the place where the sun rose.  
  
Ken frowned, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. His head was sore, and he could feel something coming. He didn't know how, but he could feel something was going on in the city bellow him.  
  
Then again, Wathren was never a quiet city.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
A/N: Alright, more action in the next chapter. Everyone caught the Wathren bit at the end, right? This story is moving very slowly, so don't expect a ton of updates unless I'm really inspired. Chapter three is being stubborn right now and won't let me write it, but if you want more action, please go read one of my other chapter stories once I post them. 


End file.
